This invention relates to a connector housing which can be utilized for a connector employed in such as an automobile.
Conventionally, the electric wirings for an automobile have been mainly the power line wirings for lights, starting motor, wiper motor, power window motors, defroster, horn and the like. For these wirings, round conductor wires for power supply have been used, and as a connector for connecting wires, the connector for power wires (hereinafter referred to as a wire connector) has been used.
Recently, electronic control devices for keeping the driving of an engine at its optimum conditions and various sensors such as a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a gas sensor, a vibration sensor, an optical sensor and the like are employed for the car. Flexible flat cable (abbreviated as FFC) is preferably used as the electrical conductors for transmitting signals detected by various sensors to the controllers in view of making the volume occupied by the wirings smaller. Therefore, recent cars employ both of the connectors for power wires and the connectors for FFC.
As the connector for power wires, an example is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,607,903 and 4,674,814 by HOSHINO et al. The connector for FFC is quite different from the wire connector as shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 3,084,302 by BRAEUTIGAM, wherein flat conductors at one end portion of a sheet cable are exposed, and the end portion is lapped with a reinforcing member for attaching to the connector.
Since the connectors for power wires and those for FFC are respectively made, two kinds of metallic molds are necessary for forming connector housings, and therefor the cost for manufacturing molds is high.
Conventional intermingled use of the connectors for the power wire connections and the connectors for FFC cables in each car makes the number of connectors larger and the volume occupied by connectors bigger.